I had high expectations for this movie, being a Richard Yates recreation by the usually impressive director- Sam Mendes (“American Beauty”, “Road to Perdition”). But I have to say, I haven’t fallen asleep in a movie theater since... never. I’ve walked out of bad movies, but never fell asleep before, and "Revolutionary Road" is one hell of a tranquilizer! Yes, the acting is great, Leonardo and Kate really score points, going for that Oscar, but in all fairness, this is a mediocre movie. The story bounces back and forth- will they get along, will they not. Will they move to Paris, will they get divorced. It’s so shallow, it’s annoying. I tried to grab on to something to like about this film, but the more I tried, the more sleepy it made me. It’s not a very entertaining movie, unless you’re a struggling actor in awe of these two titanic celebrities. And it’s certainly not a feel-good movie, more a description of the typical suburban broken-marriage theme, kinda like “A woman under the influence”, except neither character is crazy, and the situations are dull and uninteresting.
I would turn this review into a spoiler if I could! But it really did knock me out, and I missed portions, so I can’t actually reveal what happens if I wanted to. Maybe I missed the subtlety, or Leo’s charm just wasn’t working for me, but a great film should grab hold of your attention, regardless of a lack of climactic scenes or uneventful dialogue. If you’re interested in time-pieces, just for the glamorous detailed sets, or you are going through the end of a failed marriage yourself, then maybe you’ll make it through this two hour sob-fest. Otherwise, go see “The Wrestler” again. That’s my review. (A)
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